Reform (Elections of Speaker and Deputy Speaker) (General Provisions) (Sark) Ordinance, 2016

(2)      A nomination shall be seconded by a Conseiller.

(3)      Nominations under this section shall be delivered during such period, and during such hours, as the returning officer shall appoint, such period to expire not later than 10 days prior to the date appointed for the election, prior notice having been given in the official notice boxes of the period and times appointed for this purpose.

(4)      Every such nomination shall be accompanied by a declaration in writing signed by the candidate stating that he is, or will on the date appointed for the election be, eligible to stand for election under the provisions of section 22A of the Law, and that he is willing to serve as Speaker or as Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, if elected.

(5)      For the avoidance of doubt, the returning officer may accept the nomination of a person to whom the provisions of section 22A(4) of the Law would apply (if the person were elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker); or the nomination of a person who otherwise is, as at the date of nomination, ineligible to be elected as Speaker or as Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, but in respect of whom the returning officer is satisfied that he will be so eligible on the date appointed for the election.

(6)      A candidate may withdraw his consent to serve as Speaker or as Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, by written notice delivered to the returning officer at any time before the expiry of the period appointed under subsection (3) for the delivery of nominations.

(7)      Upon receipt of a nomination in accordance with this section the returning officer shall take all reasonable steps to satisfy himself that the nominated person is, or will on the date appointed for the election be, eligible to be elected as Speaker or as Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, or that he is a person to whom section 22A(4) of the Law would apply (if he were elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker), and, if he is so satisfied, shall sign the declaration on the nomination form declaring that the candidate has been duly nominated.

(8)      The returning officer shall, not less than 7 days prior to the date appointed for the holding of an election, publish the nominations made in respect of that election by notice in the official notice boxes.

(2)      The Seneschal shall preside over the meeting of the Chief Pleas for the purpose only of the election of the Speaker.

(3)      In the absence or incapacity of the Speaker, the Greffier shall preside over the meeting of the Chief Pleas for the purpose only of the election of the Deputy Speaker and in such a case the Greffier shall not be the returning officer designated under section 1(1).

(4)      In the event that there is only one candidate for the office of Speaker, or for the office of Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, that candidate shall be declared elected without a secret ballot provided that such election is approved by resolution of the Chief Pleas.

(5)      Prior to the secret ballot, the Conseillers who have proposed and seconded the nomination of each candidate shall be given the opportunity to make representations in support of their nomination but no other speeches shall be permitted.

(6)      The conduct of the secret ballot shall be supervised by the returning officer who shall deliver a voting paper, on which is inscribed the names of each candidate for election, to each Conseiller present at the meeting at which the election is held.

(7)      Each Conseiller shall indicate his choice of candidate by marking an "X" against the name of the candidate and his voting paper shall be returned to the returning officer for inclusion in the ballot.

(8)      The counting of the votes shall be carried out by the returning officer and such person or persons appointed by him to assist.

(9)      The successful candidate shall be the candidate who receives the largest number of votes in the secret ballot and the returning officer shall deliver the result of the ballot to the presiding officer who shall declare such successful candidate elected as Speaker, or as Deputy Speaker, as the case may be.

(10)      Where an election for the office of Speaker is held on the same day as an election for the office of Deputy Speaker, a candidate who has been nominated for the office of Speaker and for the office of Deputy Speaker, and who is declared elected as Speaker pursuant to section 2(9), shall thereupon be deemed to have withdrawn his consent to serve as Deputy Speaker; and the election for the office of Deputy Speaker shall proceed in accordance with this section as if that candidate had not been nominated for such office.

(2)      The provisions of subsection (1) may, at the discretion of the presiding officer, apply to any further ballot held under subsection (1)(b).

"election" means an election for the office of Speaker, or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, of the Chief Pleas held under section 22A of the Law,

"the Law" means the Reform (Sark) Law, 2008,

"presiding officer" means the person presiding over an election in accordance with this Ordinance,

"returning officer", in relation to any election, means such person, being the Greffier or other officer designated by the Chief Pleas in accordance with section 1(1), who is the returning officer for the purpose of that election, and"subordinate legislation" means any regulation, rule, order, rule of court, resolution, scheme, byelaw or other instrument made under any enactment and having legislative effect.

(2)      The Interpretation (Guernsey) Law, 1948[c] applies to the interpretation of this Ordinance.

(3)      Any reference in this Ordinance to an enactment is a reference thereto as from time to time amended, re-enacted (with or without modification), extended or applied.

(4)      References in this Ordinance to section 22A of the Law, or a provision thereof, shall, in the case of an election for the office of Deputy Speaker, be deemed to refer to that section, or that provision, as extended by section 22B(2) of the Law.